Animal Wars
Animal Wars (アニマル大戦'' Animaru Taisen'') is a gag work by Fujio Akatsuka and Fujio Pro, serialized in Weekly Shonen King. Overview Animals take a stand against mankind, from wild animals to pets rebelling and becoming violent. This is due to the influence of the local neighborhood veterinarian,' Dr. Boro'. He''' has aimed to get revenge on humans and create an "Animal's World" where the livestock reign supreme. As the chaos goes on, the hero of legend named 'Momotaro '''must rise up to take on Dr. Boro, but learns that there's a whole other boss behind that one that he must fight for the fate of the world. The series is often split into two major sections in its short release; The '"Dr. Boro" 'arc that starts off the whole storyline, and the '"Momotaro" arc. Characters Akatsuka's Star System can be seen used to a degree, between its animals as well as some humans such as The Police Officer with the Connected Eyes and Kaoru-chan serving as cops (among other characters popping up in chapters). Masato (正人) The decoy protagonist of the series, appearing only at the very start. His father won't trust the family dog Pochi after having been beat up by a pack of dogs at night, though Masato believes in his pet. Masato soon discovers Pochi has gone missing, and becomes alarmed at the swarms of violent animals he sees, tracking them to a shed where he falls upon Pochi having become part of the hivemind being rallied by an unusual creature ordering them to attack. Masato's design shares some aspects with Fujio Itai from Itaike-kun, as well as Kensaku from Kensaku the Architect, but one "graphic novel"-style art shift may also suggest Akatsuka's own features played some inspiration for the shonen design. Dr. Boro The mad scientist veterinarian responsible for all the strange happenings going on, as well as for crafting various mutant animals from his experiments. He is accompanied by one particular experiment, a large lion-esque ball of fur with only two legs named Tamatama. When he was a schoolboy, he had a pet pig named Buko who he fell in love with much like a girlfriend and even began to dress her like a human. Unfortunately, a gang of hideous high school girls beat them up and stripped Buko, selling her to a butcher for money. Distraught by the loss of his precious pig, Boro swore revenge on humanity. Tamatama, Rare Beast of the Village A furry creature treated with high respect by the citizens and as something like a "God" due to Boro having put him in charge. He is a short-tempered one, but can also wind up the butt of a joke or vulnerable to others in some situations. His fur covers the fact that his whole body resembles a scrotum, and in fact carries two eggs inside it (seen when he is emasculated by Boro as punishment). This plays to the pun of his name, with "tama" both representing the eggs as well as his testicular appearance. He does not play a further part in the series once Boro punishes him and it comes time to switch to Momotaro's story. Momotaro Showing up mid-way into the series, this young man proves to be the true protagonist after arriving in on a peach from space and found by an old couple. He quickly befriends a pig and monkey, with his bag of dango proving handy in pacifying other animals that Dr. Boro tries to get to attack him. He defeats Boro with ease, but soon finds out there's a whole other boss to find and take on. During his travels, he plays the part of the leader but isn't so smart or capable himself. Inu the Pig A cop of the neighborhood, soon convinced to drop his position by Momotaro.after the boy gives him dango to eat. His nostril powers are very useful in firing out projectiles. Saru the Monkey Momotaro's second cohort, also recruited by dango. He is a chain-smoker, using the smoke from his cigarettes to create a flying cloud (ala Sun Wukong) to fly about on or to make different constructs. When weather conditions are rough, his smoke may turn into a storm cloud instead. Kiji the Kappa As his name suggests, a kappa. He has a face resembling that of the Police Officer with the Connected Eyes, save for his very kappa hairstyle (which becomes longer with a quick art evolution). He shows up to challenge Momotaro and the other two for intruding upon his desert lake, but is defeated by Pig and Monkey and decides to join in their rebellion. Animal Boss A large, yakuza-looking oni (and effectively a usage of the lead from Gontaro Niguruma). He is a tough-looking but flustered man whose anger and strength can be destructive, though not in the ways he'd expect. Momotaro and his crew face various challenges and experiences with him on the island before Momotaro can finally get his chance to battle him. The two finally decide to resolve things with a wrestling match, but wind up falling in love and calling it off (while Kaoru appears to make out with one of the judges). Thus, the series comes to its unexpected conclusion. Serialization *Weekly Shonen King: #7-36 for 1978 Reprints *Futabasha: 2 volumes in the Power Comics imprint *Shogakukan: Power Comics volumes digitized for the Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works DVD-ROM set, along with the print-on-demand edition for ComicPark *eBookJapan: 2 volumes External Links Category:Manga Category:Gag works Category:1970s works Category:Works serialized in Weekly Shonen King